I think it is great to set goals, create vision boards and generally get excited about things you want to achieve in your future. I also think it is equally important to highlight what you have accomplished in your past, be it career related or physical benchmarks that you’re proud of. That being said I can’t stress enough how vital it is to live in the present moment and accept yourself and your body.

I too am guilty of thinking about the body I had in my early 20’s and making comments to myself about returning to that form, “if I just got back into my routine I had then, I would have that same body”. Guess what, you are no longer 22 and chances are your body and situation has changed. And that’s OK! To be completely honest I wouldn’t want that 22 year old body now, I am 10x healthier than I was then.

When I was in my early 20’s just out of university I started working in a busy gym in the heart of downtown Toronto. I was so excited to be working in my field and due to my work ethic I became really busy, really fast. Some days I would work upwards of 12 hours constantly training clients (just thinking about that now makes me want to take a nap). My first client of the day started at 6am and my last client was as late as 9pm. I didn’t have any time to cook or prepare meals for the next day, so I would eat out a lot. At that point in my life I had a very unhealthy relationship with food and would skip meals, ration calories, and partake in extreme dieting. Overall I was a health disaster despite coaching others to be their healthiest self.

This is something we as “fitness and health professionals” struggle with as a whole. When you peel back the layers of this industry there are self-doubts, unhealthy habits and many insecurities. I have been there first hand and I am grateful for going through that experience. It gives me the confidence to help not only my clients but fitness professionals struggling with their own self-doubt.

My focus of late has been on shifting my mindset.  I have worked on living in the present and not comparing myself to the “old me” or constantly fantasizing about my future self. This is a hard concept but an important one.

“Everything changes, nothing remains unchanged” – Buddha

I love this quote because it is so true. It is emotionally and mentally draining to constantly comparing yourself to your old self. “Back in university, I had a 6 pack” is not going to do anything for you today in this moment. (I never actually had a 6-pack by the way). We can only control what we are doing in this present moment so be kind to your current body, as my girl Janey B always says during her mindfulness practice, “ Be grateful for your body moving at free will, it is a true gift” – YES!

On the other hand if you have ever dieted before you have probably fantasized about your future body, this can also take away from performing the steps required to become the healthier you.

We can get caught up and worry about things that are out of our control at this present moment. Living a healthy lifestyle requires constant compassion for yourself, all you can do is your best right now to be your healthiest and this starts with your mindset.

Accept your body for what it is and allow yourself to exist in the present. Your past and future “you” will thank you.

– Sylvie  (OG LIfestyles)